Psymposia: Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories in Psychedelia

As more become aware of the push for decriminalization  we’re pretty sure that certain elements will start pushing more dimwitted conspiracy theories about something they don’t understand so this is a well timed piece from the wonderful Psymposia website..

Here’s the introduction this great article that we suggest you read now and then bookmark to keep on file  and re-read over the next 18 months.

 

They write….It’s no secret that conspiracy theories have long-pervaded psychedelic spaces, and perhaps it should come as no surprise. LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers. Mystical experiences occasioned by psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness. Ayahuasca enhances creative divergent thinking. There’s plenty of value (intellectual, entertainment, or otherwise) in playing around with ontological and epistemological questions. After all, what if our existence really is just a simulation? No really, what if the universe simulates itself into existence? But openness, creativity, and questioning can also contribute to the spread of demonstrably false (and injurious) information.

As we find ourselves confronted by the stark realities of the systemic nature of late-stage capitalism, there’s no denying that a small group of individuals actually does wield and exert near-unimaginable power over the world. That said, there are substantive (and evidentiary) differences between critical analyses of the limited beneficiaries of capitalism and concoctions like the far-right QAnon conspiracy, which posits that President Trump is battling an international pedophile ring led by luciferian Democrats and “the Deep State,” all of which is spelled out in coded posts on 4chan by someone named “Q.” While psychedelically-induced openness and suggestibility may offer unique and personally meaningful insights, in a world beset by pandemic, white supremacism, and ecocide, “It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out,” as Carl Sagan noted. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how some of this fervent postulation can cause real harms, both in the psychedelic scene and beyond. In recent months we have seen a multimillionaire investor in psychedelic biotech call for prioritizing the health of the economy over the health of individuals while promoting debunked treatment options. We have seen an ayahuasca grifter refer to the virus as a “necessary purge” of humanity. And we have watched several budding psychedelic businesses publish predatory press releases in anticipation of the pandemic increasing the demand for their products and services among people psychologically traumatized by the virus and affected by social distancing measures. We’ve even witnessed a viral video spread gross misinformation on COVID-19, directed by someone who was an early contributor to psychedelic mainstreaming. 

Now, we are seeing psychedelic evangelists promoting and monetizing coronavirus conspiracy theories, making suggestions that 5G mobile networks cause COVID-19, that Bill Gates is at the helm of a vaccine-induced depopulation plot, and that Anthony Fauci is directing some kind of elaborate coronavirus cover-up. 

London Real’s Brian Rose has raised over $1M to fund the Digital Freedom Platform after his interview with coronavirus conspiracy theorist David Icke was removed from YouTube

Brian Rose talks with Alex Jones on InfoWars about having his videos removed from YouTube and starting his “Digital Freedom Platform”

Brian Rose is a former Wall Street banker and host of London Real, a media platform where he interviews people about “alternative” perspectives on trending topics. 

Earlier this year, London Real released a documentary called ReConnect, which chronicles Rose’s voyage to Costa Rica to take ayahuasca. The documentary features ayahuasca-focused interviews with physician Gabor Maté, right-wing internet celebrity Jordan Peterson, bodybuilder Dorian Yates, How To Change Your Mind author Michael Pollan, Indian guru Sahdguru, entertaining-but-pseudoscientific author Graham Hancock, ayahuasca researcher Dennis McKenna, and professional rich guy Dan Peña. Rose promoted this documentary in a broadcast he aired in honor of #ThankYouPlantMedicine Day, on February 22, 2020, and Lucid News published an interview with Rose about the documentary in late April.

On April 7, YouTube removed a London Real interview that Rose conducted with conspiracy theorist David Icke (who helped popularize the conspiracy theory about a shape-shifting reptilian illuminati which secretly controls the world). The video was removed for promoting Icke’s false medical claims, including the idea that 5G technology is linked to coronavirus symptoms, that a coronavirus vaccine will include “nanotechnology microchips,” and that Bill Gates should be jailed for helping fund vaccine research.

“Now any content that disputes the existence or transmission of COVID-19, as described by the WHO [World Health Organization] and local health authorities is in violation of YouTube policies,” a YouTube spokeswoman told The Guardian. “This includes conspiracy theories which claim that the symptoms are caused by 5G.”

Be aware of more charlatans at (and thankyou again Psymposia). https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-psychedelics/?mc_cid=56cc8d2ff5&mc_eid=e725fdc50c

 

 

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